Organic soils are the soils being rich in organic matter; they comprise part of the utilised agricultural area (UAA) and are a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture in Latvia. In Latvia, annual precipitation is greater than evaporation, which creates favourable conditions for the formation of soils rich in organic matter. Therefore, the overall aim of the present research is to examine possibilities to identify organic soils in the agricultural area in Latvia. To achieve the aim, the following specific research tasks are defined: 1) to analyse the agricultural land area in Latvia; 2) to describe the possibilities to identify organic soils in the agricultural area in Latvia and to examine the organic soil area in Latvia. The research found that the UAA, according to various information sources, was different, which made the identification of the organic soil area problematic. Information on soils in Latvia is not collected according to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) standards and definitions, therefore the present research classified organic soils according to the latest list of soils in Latvia and IPCC criteria. An analysis of the soil map of Latvia and the available data of the Rural Support Service’s Geographic Information System showed that the organic soil area in Latvia was in the range from 148 069 ha to 345 844 ha.

Historical and current development tendencies of medical tourism in Latvia, economic and geographical accessibility of Latvia for medical tourists, the high acknowledgement by the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism on the potential of Latvia of becoming one of the largest medical tourism destination points, allow us to evaluate the potential for medical tourism among the priority countries for Latvia. Unfortunately, the lack of further analysis of potential limits the development of medical tourism strategy and monitoring. The research goal: determination of export potential of medical tourism services in the priority countries for Latvia. The research showed that there is a potential in every of the given countries: in Norway – rehabilitation and insert of acrylic implants; in Sweden – endovenous laser surgery and eyelid surgery; in Finland – rehabilitation and breast enlargement; in Ireland – rehabilitation and eyelid surgery; in Great Britain – rehabilitation and eyelid surgery. Results of the SWOT analysis indicated that in order to reach the export goals the existing drawbacks to the provision of medical tourism services in Latvia have to be averted while amplifying the use of the comparative advantages of Latvia.

Monograph is a tribute to Latvia in the hundredth century, which in 800 pages of pages A through Z, in the text, tables, diagrams, maps and images, tells about the geography of Latvia. The book, through the prism of the geological development of the territory, describes a very long period of formation of the territory of Latvia, from the period of Pre-Cambrian to the present. The leading geography, environment and ecology specialists of Latvia are involved in the preparation of the monograph. The collective of authors consists of more than 60 leading scientists in geology, ecology, geography and environmental sciences in Latvia. The content of the book is impressive - in general it covers 10 large sections - "Territory of Latvia", "Geological environment and resources", "Atmosfera", "Surface water", "Sphere of life", "Population and culture", "Geography of the holding and the place of Latvia" World "," Landscape "," Natural diversity and cultural heritage values ​​"and" Sustainable development of Latvia ". The target audience of the monograph is the inhabitants of Latvia, notably teachers, scientists and university lecturers, students and public administration employees. | Monogrāfija ir veltījums Latvijai simtgadē, kas teksta, tabulu, diagrammu, karšu un attēlu 800 lappusēs no A līdz Z stāsta par Latvijas ģeogrāfiju. Grāmatā caur teritorijas ģeoloģiskās attīstības prizmu aprakstīts ļoti garš Latvijas teritorijas veidošanās periods, sākot no Pirmskembrija perioda līdz mūsdienām. Monogrāfijas sagatavošanā piesaistīti Latvijas vadošie ģeogrāfijas, vides un ekoloģijas speciālisti. Autoru kolektīvu veido vairāk nekā 60 Latvijā vadošie zinātnieki ģeoloģijā, ekoloģijā, ģeogrāfijā un vides zinātnē. Grāmatas saturs ir iespaidīgs - kopumā tā aptver 10 lielas nodaļas - "Latvijas teritorija", "Ģeoloģiskā vide un resursi", "Atmosfēra", "Virszemes ūdeņi", "Dzīvības sfēra", "Iedzīvotāji un apdzīvojums", "Saimniecības ģeogrāfija un Latvijas vieta pasaulē", "Ainavas", "Dabas daudzveidības un kultūrvēsturiskās vērtības" un "Latvijas ilgtspējīga attīstība". Monogrāfijas mērķauditorija ir Latvijas iedzīvotāji, sevišķi atzīmējot skolotājus, zinātniekus un augstskolu pasniedzējus, studentus un valsts pārvaldes darbiniekus.

Current paper contains the research concerning the role and concentration of IT specialists in contemporary Latvia. It is based on theoretical findings about the location of creative class in certain areas that meet the requirements of technology, tolerance and talent. At the same time, the advantages of creative people staying in the area are undoubted. Creative class and, first of all, super-creative core of creative class bring economic and technological development into the area it is located at. The goal of the article is to examine areas of creative IT specialist concentration within Latvia. The statistics and dynamics of IT position increase were examined and trends found. In order to define the role of IT specialists in Latvia, the allocations of IT specialists across the country were analysed. Herfindahl-Hirschman Index of Information and communication industry employee concentration was calculated. It was found that IT specialists in Latvia are extremely concentrated. Riga planning region accumulates 91.51% of all IT specialists in Latvia.

Latvia Dark-head is single local origin sheep breed in Latvia. The breed sheep herdbooks, totally 19 volumes, were issued from 1959 to 1994 with recorded information of 19 Latvia Dark head ram genealogical lines progeny. However, in the 90s of the 20th century those ram line sheep could not be found in the flocks in Latvia. In 2014 eight ram genealogical lines − Apollons 0302, Edzins 0365, Feirams 7251, Ikars 0121, Irbis 0125, Sigars 0005, Simanis 0195, and Skaris 0008 were newly approved. The data of 25,958 Latvia Dark-head breed female sheep (selection population), 8,053 sheep (31.0%) of which in pedigree flocks, and 949 Latvia Dark head breeding rams were used in the study. Sheep were born from 2009 to 2017, and they were registered one of eight ram genealogical line. Most bred Skaris (25.6% of total sire), Apollons (16.9%) and Irbis (14.1%) genealogical lines rams and less bred Edzins and Simanis line rams in selection population. More than a half of the total number of sheep in selection population (55.3%) and in pedigree flocks (57.0%) were Apollons and Skaris line sires. An average age of pedigree flock sheep was 2.6 years, but in selection population an average age was 3.6 years. Among the average age of sheep age there was a significant difference within ram lines. The maximum of the average age of sheep was among Edzins and Feirams lines sheep, and the minimum average age was among Apollons and Irbis lines sheep (p is less than 0.05). More female sheep of Edzins, Ikars and Simanis ram genealogical line sires must be bred for maintaining of genetic diversity in Latvia Dark-head sheep population.

Music education system in Latvia consists of state, municipal and private education institutions that provide vocation-oriented, vocational secondary and higher education programs. Industrial and field policy is prepared by the Ministry of Culture, its’ implementation is coordinated and managed by the Latvian National Cultural Centre. But the leadership and development of institutions of the vocational music education in Latvia is a responsibility of the music school leaders. The main object for the research is the development trends of management of the institutions of vocational music education. The aim of the article is to study and analyse the development trends of management of the institutions of vocational music education in Latvia in last five years and in current situation. Using analysis of scientific literature, statistics and normative documents, as well as interviews, in this article authors gives an overview of the main development trends of vocational music education system in Latvia and analyses interview results pointing out the advantages of the management strategies and problems in the institutions of vocational music education in Latvia.

The development of rural territories in the European Union (EU) plays an essential role, and agricultural development can largely contribute to this process. To project agricultural trends, a number of models have been developed in the EU, while in Latvia the LASAM model was developed in 2016 to generate projections for agricultural sector development in Latvia until 2050. In 2017, LASAM was extended by a module for socio-economic assessment that allows projecting productivity for various types of farming. The research aim is to develop a model for productivity simulation for various specialisation types of farms in order to project their development in Latvia. To achieve the aim, two specific research tasks were set: 1) to develop a model for productivity simulation for various specialisation types of farms in Latvia; 2) to identify the key results of the simulation of productivity for various specialisation types of farms in Latvia. The research found that in the period 2005 – 2016 the value added of agriculture tended to slightly increase in Latvia, whereas an opposite trend was observed for the number of persons employed in agriculture, which tended to decrease in the period of analysis. Both trends determine the agricultural productivity trend as well. A projection of productivity measured as value added per AWU for various farming types in Latvia by means of the LASAM model has revealed that it is different, and the highest level of productivity in 2030 and 2050 is projected for granivores as well as field crop farms.

Augšzeme Protected Landscape Area is located in the south-eastern part of Latvia and covers more than 20 000 hectares. The most characteristic nature assets there are the hilly relief, large number of lakes (52 lakes), the diversity of habitats – forests, quaking bogs, grasslands, and numerous protected vascular plant species. During our study, 54 rare, protected plant species were found, including 12 species which are known only from literature (recorded earlier, but repeatedly not during our field investigations). Several rare, protected species with limited distribution in Latvia were found, for which the density of recorded localities has changed significantly in the Augšzeme Protected Landscape Area – from few to the several dozens of new localities. During our study, abundant populations of several species with prevalence in Western Latvia (Alliaria petiolata, Saxifraga tridactylites, Serratula tinctoria, Trifolium dubium) were recorded. The chorological analysis of rare, protected plant species in the area revealed that the flora is largely composed of species characteristic in Central and Western Latvia or present throughout Latvia rather than species typical in Eastern Latvia. The proportion of chorological groups of oceanity-continentality and sectoriality is more compliant with the floristic composition in Latvia in general than for local floras of Eastern Latvia and Sēlija region. | Aizsargājamo ainavu apvidū “Augšzeme”, kas aizņem vairāk nekā 20 000 ha, par galvenajām dabas vērtībām uzskatāms lielais ezeru skaits – 52 ezeri, pārejas purvi un slīkšņas, kā arī lielā reto un aizsargājamo vaskulāro augu daudzveidība. 2015. gada vasarā aizsargājamo ainavu apvidū “Augšzeme” konstatētas 54 retas un aizsargājamas vaskulāro augu sugas, no tām 12 sugas konstatētas teritorijā agrāk, bet 2015. gadā vairs nav atrastas. Vairākām sugām aizsargājamo ainavu apvidū būtiski mainījies atradņu blīvums – no dažām līdz vairākiem desmitiem atradņu. Pētījuma rezultātā vairākām sugām, ar nosacītu Rietumlatvijas izplatību (ārstniecības ķiplocenei Alliaria petiolata (M. Bieb.) Cavara et Grande, trejzobu akmeņlauzītei Saxifraga tridactylites L., krāsu zeltlapei Serratula tinctoria L., sīkajam āboliņam Trifolium dubium Sibth.), konstatētas bagātīgas atradnes. Reto un aizsargājamo sugu fitoģeogrāfiskās analīzes rezultāti liecina, ka teritorijā vairāk ir pārstāvētas Viduslatvijai un Rietumlatvijai vai Latvijai kopumā raksturīgās okeāniski-kontinentālo un sektoriālo grupu sugas un šo fizioģeogrāfisko grupu proporcija vairāk atbilst Latvijai kopumā, mazāk – Austrumlatvijas un Sēlijas lokālflorām.

The book is composed in four parts which look chronologically at the development of industry in Latvia over different periods. The first part is about developments of the Latvian industry in the Russian Empire, the second part during the Republic of Latvia. The third part looks at process of the industry in the USSR, while the final fourth chapter analyses the industry in the renewed state of Latvia. In general, the book analyses the development of industry in Latvia over 200 years, when it has been influenced by various tragic and fatal historical events experienced in Latvia. | Grāmata veidota četrās daļās, kurās hronoloģiski aplūkota rūpniecības attīstība Latvijā dažādos laika posmos. Pirmajā daļā stāstīts par norisēm Latvijas rūpniecībā Krievijas impērijas sastāvā, otrajā daļā vēstīts par notikumiem Latvijas rūpniecībā Latvijas Republikas laikā. Trešā daļa aplūko norises rūpniecībā PSRS sastāvā, savukārt noslēdzošajā ceturtajā nodaļā analizēta rūpniecība atjaunotajā Latvijas valstī. Kopumā grāmatā analizēta rūpniecības attīstība Latvijas teritorijā vairāk nekā 200 gadu garumā, kad to ietekmējuši dažādi Latvijā piedzīvotie traģiskie un liktenīgie vēsturiskie notikumi.

Fisheries and aquaculture remain important sources of food, nutrition, income and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people around the world. In the EU, the development of fisheries is affected by the Common Fisheries Policy which aims to ensure that fishing and aquaculture are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable and that they provide a source of healthy food for EU citizens. In Latvia, the fisheries industry is related to a rational and sustainable use of living natural resources in its economic zone, territorial waters and internal waters. Therefore, research aim is to examine the key characteristics of the fishing industry in Latvia. To achieve the aim, the following specific research tasks are defined: 1) to examine the characteristics of the fishing fleets of EU Member States; 2) to analyse total catch volumes and the performance of top 10 fishing enterprises in Latvia. The present research analysed the fishing fleets of EU Member States, which are affected by fleet capacity management measures, catch quotas for Latvia, catch volumes in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga in the period 2014−2017 as well as the key performance indicators of the top 10 fishing enterprises of Latvia. The research has discovered that the fishing enterprises of Latvia are affected by catch quotas for the key fish species that were reduced on average by 1−57 % during the period 2014−2017. The top 10 fishing enterprises turnover in 2016 increased by 60.7 % compared with 2014 and by 27.7 % compared with 2015, but in 2016 only four made profit.